Here you can listen to all past episodes of "The Paul Leslie Hour" featuring interviews with the most creative people in the world. Featured are interviews with recording artists, singers, lyricists, composers, authors, poets, actors, and media personalities.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

It is an honor to present the second half of our interview with singer and recording artist Nana Mouskouri. Music is a language native to the human heart. One needs only to hear the angelic tones of Nana Mouskouri to affirm this. Her unique and powerful sound has been described as feminine and strong, exhilarating and calming...more than anything, the word "beautiful" has been used. Whether you hear her singing in Greek, German, French, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Spanish, Hebrew or any of the other languages she has used so skillfully to share her gift, you may agree with me that Nana Mouskouri has mastered the language of music.

Our special guest is international singer Nana Mouskouri. According to the music website allmusic.com, Nana Mouskouri is the biggest selling female vocalist of all time. I think you will agree, the story and case of Nana Mouskouri is a unique one. She speaks and sings in several languages. She's recorded songs in Greek, French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Hebrew, Welsh, Mandarin, and Turkish, just to name a few. Nana Mouskouri has fans throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. She has recorded approximately 450 albums and an astonishing 2,000 songs making one of, if not the most prolific recording artists in the world. Nana Mouskouri sings in many genres from jazz, French cabaret songs, songs heard in motion picture soundtracks, classical and operatic pieces, religious and gospel hymns, pop tunes, folk songs from her native Greece, and other genres. A very humble woman, when asked how many albums she has sold globally, Nana Mouskouri has said "around 200 million," while some journalists believe the number to be well over 300 million copies worldwide. Nana Mouskouri's voice has been an international sensation for over 50 years. It is with great pleasure we welcome her on The Paul Leslie Hour.

We are pleased to welcome back Pete Seeger for the second half of our 2-part Pete Seeger special. Pete Seeger is a Grammy award winner and an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He's a banjo player, singer, songwriter, recording artist and performer. His career has endured more than 70 years. Along the way, Pete Seeger has influenced musicians in the genres of rock, country, bluegrass and folk. Pete Seeger has recorded dozens of albums, performed in countless concerts all over this land and has written songs recorded by hundreds of recording artists. Pete Seeger's songs "Turn, Turn, Turn," "If I Had a Hammer," and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" are a part of our collective memory.
It is a true honor to welcome Pete Seeger to The Paul Leslie Hour. Enjoy the music and the interview.

On this episode we celebrate over 9 years since the first broadcast. Our special guest is a folksinger, songwriter, banjoist, recording artist and legend --Pete Seeger. Born in 1919, Pete Seeger met and performed with folksinger Woody Guthrie in 1940. Soon, Pete Seeger was inspired to write his own songs. In 1948, Pete Seeger formed the folk group The Weavers and the group sold 4 million record copies. They helped popularize Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," into the beloved song we know today. They recorded a version of Leadbelly's "Good Night Irene" that topped the chart for six months.
When the folk boom of the early sixties took place, groups like The Kingston Trio, the Byrds and Peter, Paul and Mary had hits with Pete Seeger songs like "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and "Turn, Turn, Turn." Pete Seeger has definitely made his mark on the world. He has earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Harvard Arts Medal, the Kennedy Center Award, The Presidential Medal of the Arts, Two Grammys, and membership in both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many would say that Pete Seeger is arguably the most important living American folk musician. He continues to record and perform occasionally. Throughout his 70 year career he has recorded dozens of albums and influenced everyone from Don McLean to Bruce Springsteen. His songs have been recorded and performed by everyone from Harry Belafonte, Joan Baez, Roy Orbison, Bobby Darin, Dolly Parton, Judy Collins, Johnny Rivers, and hundreds of others. It is an extreme honor to present an interview with Pete Seeger along with musical selections.

This is part two of our special with Bruce Burch. Bruce Burch is a hit songwriter, music educator and director of the John Jarrard Foundation. On this episode, Bruce Burch joins us to talk about not only his own songwriting, but also the life of his late friend, songwriter John Jarrard and namesake of the John Jarrard Foundation.
Some of the recording artists who have recorded Bruce Burch's work include George Jones, Wayne Newton, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Aaron Tippin, T. Graham Brown, Billy Joe Royal, John Anderson, Gene Watson, Rhonda Vincent, Dobie Gray, Ricky Van Shelton, Barbara Mandrell, Billy Dean, Collin Raye, Dan Seals and others.

On part 1 of 2, we welcome hit songwriter Bruce Burch. Bruce Burch, a native of Gainesville, Georgia is the writer of songs recorded by the likes of George Jones, Billy Joe Royal, Reba McEntire, Wayne Newton and many others. Songwriter Bruce Burch is also known in the world of academia, he is the Executive in Residence of the Music, Sports and Entertainment program at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. His other passion is the John Jarrard Foundation, where Burch serves as a director. The John Jarrard Foundation is an organization that supports songwriters and a number of great causes.

We feature an in-depth interview with Bruce Burch as well as a lot of great music.

Friday, October 11, 2013

This is a radio series entitled HIS SONG: Harry Belafonte, where we take a look at the life and recordings of Harry Belafonte through a series of interviews.

This is the third episode of our series HIS SONG, Harry Belafonte. Our special guest Gina Belafonte is the producer of the documentary film SING YOUR SONG, which tells the untold story of Harry Belafonte.

Gina Belafonte was born and raised in New York City. Her background is in entertainment and activism, something she shares with her father Harry Belafonte. Harry Belafonte is known around the world for popularizing songs like Day-O, Jamaica Farewell, Jump in the Line, Matilda and many others as well as his acting and activism.

Our interview will focus on Gina Belafonte the activist and the film SING YOUR SONG which tells her father's story.

Along with the interview we play many classic Belafonte recordings from the 1960s and 1970s.